The structure of standard metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) devices, as well as that of the floating gate-type, are well known to those skilled in the art, wherein the standard MOSFET device functions as a switch, which is responsive to a control voltage applied to a gate structure thereof, while the floating gate transistor device stores charge in order to function as flash memory. The gate structure of both types of devices overlie a semiconductor substrate in which a channel extends between source and drain regions, and a voltage applied to the gate structure of each stimulates a flow of free electron carriers from the source region toward the drain region.
For the standard MOSFET device, switching speed and efficiency can be negatively impacted by a phenomena known as “hot carrier effect”, or “hot electron effect”, which occurs when the electric field strength, near the drain region, becomes high enough to accelerate electrons toward the oxide interface between the gate structure and the channel, so that the free electrons become trapped therein. Modifications to the semiconductor substrate of the standard MOSFET structure, for example, creating lightly doped drain regions, to deflect the flow of free electron carriers away from the gate structure, are known in the art. Conversely, for the floating gate-type transistor device, injection of free electrons into the gate structure, in order to charge the floating gate, is desired, thus, the hot electron effect is exploited and further enhanced, for example, by biasing the floating gate at a relatively high voltage in order to deflect the flow of free electrons toward the floating gate, and thereby charge the floating gate, via what is known as ‘hot electron injection’. The present disclosure presents some alternative transistor configurations for deflecting the flow of free electron carriers within the channels thereof.